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Background: Incision for surgical procedures has been given by scalpel blades since long, but in recent modern era electrocautery is also favored by many surgeons. The aim of this study was to compare electrocautry versus scalpel incisions in elective midline laparotomies in terms of per operative incision timings, post-operative pain, blood loss and wound infection in population of Peshawar Pakistan. Materials & Methods: This was Quasi experimental study conducted in Department of General Surgery MTI Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, KP from Jan 2021 to Oct 2021. Total 100 patients of elective laparotomy were included. Inclusion criteria were all male/female adults' patients without Diabetes and bleeding disorders. Patients were randomly assigned in two groups by lottery method. Group A (50 patients) underwent incision with scalpel while in group B (50 patients) incision was given by electrocautery at cutting mode. Data was analyzed by SPSS ver.23.0. Results: The mean age of patients in group A and B was 44.10 ± 13.14 and 48.06 ± 11.66 years respectively. Mean incision time in Group A was 3.87 ± 1.06 seconds while in group B it was 3.65 ± 1.40 seconds. Mean pain (VAS) in group A at 24 hours was 2.22 ± 0.54 and 1.62 ± 0.60 in group B (p value 0.000). Mean blood loss in group A was 2.94 ± 1.53 ml while in group B it was 1.66 ± 1.23ml (P value 0.001). Fifteen patients (30%) of group A and 6 patients (12%) of group B developed post-operative surgical site infection which was statistically significant (p value 0.02). Conclusion: We recommend use of electrocautery as a safe alternative to scalpel for skin incision. Incision with electrocautery has a significant advantage over scalpel as it causes little blood loss, significantly low postoperative pain and decreased chances of wound infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pakistan ranks sixth in terms of tuberculosis burden. The frequency of tuberculosis in diabetics is reported to be four times higher than in non-diabetics. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of pulmonary tuberculosis in admitted patients of diabetes mellitus. Material & Methods: Patients of diabetes mellitus admitted to Medical Unit A, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, from 1st August 2010 to 31st July 2011, were studied. Routine investigations including blood complete, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, fasting and random blood glucose, were carried out in all patients. Three early morning sputum smears for acid fast bacilli and x-ray chest and bronchoalveolar lavage were the main tools for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Results: A total of 100 patients with diabetes mellitus were admitted during the study period. Out of them, 54 patients were males, and 46 females. Fourteen (14%) of these patients were diagnosed as having pulmonary tuberculosis. Fever was the commonest presenting symptom of tuberculosis and was present in 75%, followed by cough in 56%, and hemoptysis in 17% patients. Cavitating lesions were seen on chest x-ray in (35.7%) and pleural effusion in (28.5%) of these patients. Conclusion: Pulmonary tuberculosis is common in patients with diabetes mellitus. Fever and cough are the common presenting symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]